@Tjuz The thing with lots of the boss fights is that if you watch them back they never look like they should have been that difficult but playing them is a different matter I have the Nightmare King Grimm saved/uploaded as it happens;
Watching that back, it also seems that because Hornet's combat style is so much quicker than the Knight's, bosses are typically quicker as well so the room for error is smaller. Plus, some of the bosses get quicker and quicker through their phases so it can get overwhelming.
And no, I didn't get the Rebirth platinum. Both the FF7:R games require completion on Hard mode which I loved in Remake as the combat was so much more nuanced and tactical but I couldn't face having to play the whole game again and on a harder difficulty too. If I'd made that decision earlier on then I could have saved myself so much more time and not bothered with lots of things I had already done thinking I would go for the platinum.
@Thrillho Watching you beat Nightmare Grimm there gave me a half panic attack, and I'm not even the one who ever played the game! Just watching my friend as well as you attempt it alone is enough to overwhelm my brain, haha. If watching it alone should look easier than it is... well, consider me out for the count. But yeah, I guess it very much depends on how someone gets along with Hornet's playstyle in terms of how hard the sequel will be in comparison with the original for anyone. Though I have seen from my friend's playing sessions that she's generally more adaptable. I don't remember what they're called, but I think something along the lines of having different shields which each come with different movesets that might suit your playstyle better or worse? Or even be more practical to use for any particular boss? I also heard online before that there's a "shield" (if we're going with that) that pretty much mimics Hollow Knight's combat moves for anyone who was disappointed by Hornet playing so differently. Did you end up getting that one and using it, or did it not feel as good anyway with the fights in general being so much faster-paced?
Ah, the age-old difficulty trophies! I feel like these are the exact kind of trophies that will forever keep me from being a trophy hunter. I'm not someone who likes to replay games. I look at my backlog and all the fresh experiences I could try instead and consequently see no reason to play something I've already enjoyed and seen all of! Not that I don't understand why others enjoy it, but my brain is simply wired more towards the shiny new stuff, I suppose. Then the only way to go about it would be to start off on the higher difficulty in the first place, but well... for that I'm too much of a coward. I hate it when a game kicks my ass. I'm the protagonist! I'm here to be the all-powerful, chosen one! Not to be fielded by a random Level 4 slug enemy. My only platinum is Spider-Man on the PS4, because that didn't require me to play the game on anything above Normal difficulty and let me do everything in one playthrough! If all games were like that, I'm sure I'd have a more impressive trophy shelf, haha.
@nessisonett Glad you enjoyed Golden Mask so much! Although you're right, I also found the end credits jumpscare rather anti-climactic (and unintentionally hilarious). Here's hoping you enjoy the The Lost Artefact expansion as much, if not moreso, and best of luck with TR3 as and when!
The first two levels felt like Chronicles levels from the Russia section, which I actually really enjoyed even if there’s still too much combat for my liking.
I was pleasantly surprised when I replayed Chronicles as part of the second remastered collection. I have a ton of personal fondness for the game, but have also always objectively recognised its shortcomings. As a bitesize, atmospheric victory lap for the classics, however, it really holds up (especially with some of its more infamous bugs finally squashed, too).
"If I let not knowing anything stop me from doing something, I'd never do everything!"
@Werehog Yeah, I completely bounced off The Last Revelation the first time, still haven’t beaten it. Whereas Chronicles was nowhere near as bad as its reputation, just very safe and buggy. Although the final levels set inside the building were more like knock off Splinter Cell than Tomb Raider!
Easier then I remember it being (Probably thanks to the new analogue controls) but can still kick your arse.
Especially so thanks to Croc going to the Sonic school of taking damage meaning you can and will burn through lives as it will not give you crystals to protect yourself in some rooms towards the end.
Beat it though. Got the platinum for it too as it wasn't that demanding. Well worth the nostalgia trip.
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
@nessisonett Apologies for the late reply, but I just wanted to add that The Last Revelation is most definitely my favourite of the classic Tomb Raider games, as well as perhaps my favourite game in the entire series, from any era. I thought I was already leaning that way anyway, but playing through all the remasters pretty much confirmed my suspicion. I really hope you'll think better of it this time around (although hey, we like what we like, so no pressure)!
Also, speaking of those last Chronicles levels, Zip is such a 90s stereotype. I sorta love him!
"If I let not knowing anything stop me from doing something, I'd never do everything!"
@Werehog Yeah, from what I’ve generally heard, The Last Revelation seems to either be people’s favourite or least favourite with not much variance! I will say though that being about 2/3 of the way through TR3 has made me realise that it might be my favourite of the original trilogy. I’ve not found it quite as hard this time as when I first played it and the sheer variation in levels is great. I may have beaten Thames Wharf in less than a minute though because I accidentally softlocked myself so I restarted the level and made a couple jumps to land at the end of the level 😂
@nessisonett ...and got the trophy for doing so, right? Nicely done!
You're not alone in your opinion there, either. Lots of fans say that TR3 gets more enjoyable each time through, and I agree that, for variety and spectacle, it's top of the pile. Playing the remaster was the first time I'd ever gotten myself past India without using a level select cheat, and the first time I'd ever played the London and South Pacific levels, so it's the one I'm most excited to revisit. At least I knew to pick Nevada first. Can't imagine facing Antarctica with barely any weapons!
And then yeah, you get to look forward to The Marmite Revelation.
"If I let not knowing anything stop me from doing something, I'd never do everything!"
@Werehog The trophy list is a bit hardcore for me to spend too much time on, so it’s been nice getting ones for specific things like rushing areas or getting past traps without triggering them! I think playing with the modern controls has given me a different perspective on a lot of the levels though, I enjoy tank controls for what they are but it’s been interesting seeing the areas which benefit from that accuracy you get from lining up tank controls and the areas which benefit from the snappy action based controls. I’m really glad they kept the original bugs though, especially considering they’ve embraced them by giving a lot of them trophies for triggering them. They’re very well crafted remasters!
@nessisonett Yeah, apparently the developers got into trouble with PlayStation for the unprecedented amount of trophies added to the first remastered collection (so much so that the second collection barely has half the same number) and there's no way in heck I'm ever gonna get more than I already have. It was bad enough pushing for all the secrets and the "Hard Boiled" trophy in TR1. I'm happy with those, as well as the occasional surprise for doing well in any given area.
Interesting that you're embracing the modern control scheme! That's something I simply couldn't do, I tried it for all of three seconds and it just felt wrong. I'm glad it's been eye-opening for you. Which areas have benefitted the most from modern controls, do you think? Perhaps some of the timed switches?
"If I let not knowing anything stop me from doing something, I'd never do everything!"
@Werehog The swimming is so much more intuitive with the modern controls, along with all the vehicle sections. The tight platforming can be harder though, with it much more difficult to line up jumps. I’m onto Antarctica now and I really did enjoy the London levels a lot more than the general consensus seems to be. Lud’s Gate’s underwater section is a lot more manageable with unlimited saves, the increased visibility and the better swimming controls so it wasn’t as painful as the first time I played it! I really enjoy Aldwych and the Natural History Museum section of Lud’s Gate because it’s like they’ve turned an urban environment into a tomb, which I find super interesting. The sound design’s great in those levels too, because you can hear the faint sounds of life outside until you start going deeper underground.
Polished off Tomb Raider 3 last night. I really do enjoy it a lot, the monkey bars and crawling add a bit more variety to the platforming and the individual areas are nicely paced since you play through a bit at a time. The lack of enemies compared to 2 helps a lot as well. I did forget how much I dislike Antarctica though, the first level is great and a nice change of pace but the mines and the temple get to the point where you just want the game to be over and there are too many of those super mutant things. That final boss is a bit of a nightmare too, plus you still have to escape afterwards. I ended up finishing the game on fire, using my remaining health packs to keep myself alive while I waited for the gate to open so I could board the helicopter. I still have Lost Artefact to play at least, and levels based in Scotland are always a nice sight.
Just managed to finish off all bar one of the Psychonauts trophies… the last one is to purchase something from the in-game shop on Christmas Day, hence my decision to push it up the list of priorities 😉. The plat is rated a 3/10 in PSN Profiles, which is fair I suppose in regards to pure difficulty… but it does bring to mind an ongoing conversation I’ve been having with @White_Moose during our Herculean co-op playthrough of Resident Evil: Revelations Raid Mode this year. Namely… annoyance… and how it doesn’t currently ever seem to figure in regards to a Platinum-rating.
It’s a great game (Psychonauts that is) but trying to get Rank 101 without closely following a guide proved to be extremely annoying! I ended up having to play through the infamous Meat Circus three separate times due to not being fully aware of where I needed to be collectible-wise, what rank I needed to be going into it… and what equipment I needed to take with me after the Point-of-No-Return.
I’m gonna delve a bit deeper into where our conversations have gone in regards to an annoyance-rating once/if we finally manage the RE: Revelations platinum but needless to say there has been much grinding-of-gears. 🤬
@graymamba
Whilst I haven’t played much of Psychonauts 1 (I left my character in front of the shop at the first opportunity for that Christmas trophy) it did seem very similar in structure to Psychonauts 2 which I’ve completed. I played P2 without a guide but did have to revisit many places to obtain 100% which is required for rank 102 (I think) and some items required newer abilities than I had at the time and some items I just didn’t know the location of so I did have to use a guide then. Not too annoying but P1 is that much more janky so I expect more pain with that.
P2 is a great game but there still is an element of frustration here and there.
@CaptD I’m sure you’ll be fine mate, like I say the 3/10 difficulty rating is fair… just needs some due-diligence, which I was un-characteristically off on with this one.
Also, if you’re logged-on tomorrow, give me a shout… I might have a spot of good news for you 👍
Actually speaking of frustration, Tomb raider anniversary would be hugely frustrating if it didn’t have the marvellous PS2 emulator Rewind feature. Wow it has saved Lara’s bacon on many an occasion and changed the platinum rating from “hell no” to around 3/10 although I haven’t quite finished it yet.
With me wrapping up The Lost Artefact, that’s the original Tomb Raider trilogy done. Wow, that was a very good expansion. The levels were definitely a bit shorter than the main game but that’s a good thing, the content felt much denser with basically zero filler. The Scotland levels are properly top tier Tomb Raider, great environment with some interesting platforming pushing your pathfinding skills. The Chunnel levels weren’t quite as fun as I’m not a huge underwater level fan but the quad bike section was brilliant and basically encouraged you to skip sections by pushing the limits of fall damage. The Paris levels were good too with a decent final boss but I admit that I probably skipped loads of It’s A Madhouse because I massively sequence broke. That’s part of the fun though!
I’m trying to decide whether to move onto TR4 or give it a little time to avoid burnout, which probably happened to me the first time I played these games. I think playing on the TV helps though, often I wanted to play more games on the Vita in short bursts rather than committing to a methodical platformer.
Ranking wise I’d probably go so far:
Tomb Raider 2: The Golden Mask
Tomb Raider 3: The Lost Artefact
Tomb Raider 3
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider 2
Tomb Raider: Unfinished Business
It’s honestly very hard to pick between the 3 main games of the trilogy, they all have highs and lows but I more consistently enjoy TR3 the most out of all of them, it’s only really the RX-Tech Mines I struggle with. Tomb Raider 1 has lower highs but is also very consistently great across the board other than probably the mines and Atlantis. Tomb Raider 2 has some brilliant levels like all of Venice and Barkhang Monastery (arguably the best level in the trilogy) but the Maria Doria levels and the Rig massively set it back. Plus Floating Islands still makes no sense to me. The quality of the expansions though is super impressive, they feel like they push your knowledge of the base games to their fullest. Apart from Unfinished Business which is just not very fun and reuses all of the assets.
@Werehog It’s been fun replaying these, you really don’t get this sort of platforming anywhere else!
@nessisonett Congratulations on clearing TR3 and its expansion! When I started The Lost Artefact for myself last year, I honestly did have a moment where I thought, "I hope Ness is gonna play these Scotland levels someday!" Real glad you enjoyed 'em! Our opinions about the individual levels themselves are pretty much in alignment. I liked the big underwater environments at first, but they ever-so-slightly outstayed their welcome, and were a bit of a downgrade after all that excellent Chunnel quadbike nonsense. What I loved most about The Lost Artefact is the sense of storytelling and progression woven into the levels and their loading screens. It ties everything together a lot more cohesively than the previous expansions, and makes for a fun addition to the TR3 story.
The swimming is so much more intuitive with the modern controls, along with all the vehicle sections. The tight platforming can be harder though, with it much more difficult to line up jumps.
That makes sense! Considering how we were discussing the London levels before, they're actually great examples of how you can be delicately platforming one second and then swimming through a vast maze of tunnels the next. I guess I'm lucky to have such strong muscle memory for the PSone's tank controls, but I'm pleased that the modern controls are at least serviceable, if not always ideal. Case in point, they helped you enjoy Lud's Gate a lot more than last time, which is great! For all the reasons you mentioned, I also had a blast across all the London levels, despite dreading their reputation.
Also like you, while Antarctica starts off real strong, the mines can most definitely get stuffed. I get what they were going for, but it's way too convoluted and stop-start for my liking. I didn't mind the penultimate level as much but you're right, TR3 is such a huge game already anyway that no matter what, there's always gonna be a sense of, "Can this be over now, please?"
Our rankings of the classics differ a little, but reading through (and nodding along with) your summary of the trilogy, I suspect the devil's in the details. All I'd do is edge The Lost Artefact above Golden Mask and stick TR1 in between 'em (mostly for consistency and cohesiveness reasons).
As for The Last Revelation and the next trilogy of remasters, I'd never presume to tell anybody what to play or how to play it, but I think you're right to be wary of burnout. While there's nowhere near as much content as the first trilogy (since Chronicles and Angel of Darkness never got expansions) it starts with Lara's longest, most dense adventure yet, one deliberately constructed around the concept of sandbox-esque methodical backtracking. Especially right after TR3 and The Lost Artefact, it could definitely feel like a slog through no fault of its own. If you can wait until you're really starting to miss the unique gameplay and vibe of the classics, methinks you'll stand a much better chance.
Of course, this is where you reply to tell me you started The Last Revelation already, at which point all I'd be able to do is wish you the very best of luck!
Thanks for tagging me, and for sharing your thoughts. Sure is a great time to be a Tomb Raider fan!
"If I let not knowing anything stop me from doing something, I'd never do everything!"
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